THE BEGINNING
The business began in Rosa's garage, which was also Sophia's home, which was also the delivery room where Ethan had entered the world. She converted one corner into a workspace—a drafting table from a thrift store, a secondhand computer that Rosa's nephew had rebuilt, a filing cabinet that organized itself through sheer necessity rather than design.
She named it Hart Interiors, the name simple and direct, the claim of identity that she had avoided since leaving Damien's world. The business card was plain white with black lettering, no logo, no slogan, just her name and contact information and the services she offered: residential design, space optimization, small-scale renovation.
Her first client was Rosa's neighbor, a retired teacher who wanted her kitchen redesigned for
